Chrissanth Gross

Portraits & Fine Art

Chrissanth Greene-Gross is motivated by the struggle to capture the beauty of the life force in its infinite forms--particularly in the human figure and the landscape. She is thrilled by the challenge of working from life, as it calls forth the honesty, purity and urgency that accompany true presence in the moment.

Emily Kotchen

Oil Painting, Drawing, Assemblage

Mark making is my zen. I love manipulating materials—some conventional and others not. No matter if I am working in paint or pencil, thread or found objects, I am still concerned with the same goal—to create poignant moments through an economy of shapes and strokes.

I think of my work as fragments. They are minute representations of intimate details often overlooked in daily routine. In addition to the element of time present through the magnification, distortion and amplification of imagery, sometimes there are visual cues or references to personal nostalgia.

Helene Ocko

Painting, Pen & Ink

Helene Ocko is an artist from Westchester, New York. She studied textile design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Fine Arts at Boston University. She has studied contemporary painting with David Fox at the Westchester Center for the Arts. Helene has taught art at the early childhood and elementary education levels, and has owned multiple craft businesses in silk painting, jewelry design, and home decor.

Helene's specialties include abstract and floral paintings, and she uses nature to inspire her whimsical and colorful work. She loves experimenting with acrylic paint and mixed media, and often uses unconventional tools to create movement and texture.

Carolyn Simpson

Photography

Carolyn Simpson graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. With over 25 years of experience, Carolyn strives to always capture the essence of the moment blurring the line between commercial photography and art. Carolyn is the owner of Doublevision Photographers.

Shobha Vanchiswar

Painter

With advanced degrees in molecular biology, Shobha Vanchiswar is an award-winning artist, poet and author, photographer, garden columnist and prize-winning garden designer. Her art has been exhibited at various locations in Westchester County, NY and in New York City. Some of her works are in private collections.

She is a member of the New York Art Students League. Selected art work is available in giclee prints, note cards and fabric designs.

"Nature is the muse for all my creative efforts. Everything about this big, beautiful earth fascinates me. There is magic everywhere and every day is a miracle.How, what and why things are the way they are intrigues me. Simply put, I study life.

My paintings, writings and gardens are the convergence of both my artistic sensibilities and my scientific thinking. Beyond the visual, there is always a narrative in my work. Something to enjoy, something to learn and something to think about. In interpreting their own version of the narrative, the viewer/reader discovers a little more about her/himself. I try to expose the universality of the human condition. What is dear or interesting to me is in all probability dear and interesting to others.

My botanical works are not scientific illustrations. Instead, they are botanical 'portraits' and represent but one member of a specific family. They are intended to give the viewer some insight and pique their curiosity. Only constant interaction with the actual plant itself will lead to real understanding and true appreciation."

Nan Zinaman

Artisan, Beadweaver,

Jewelry Maker

Exciting, colorful, distinctive and versatile; these describe both my jewelry and me!

A lifetime of creative expression through my handiwork combined with a career in fashion retailing led to the concept for nanz – a collection of handcrafted necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Inspired by color, nanz reflects my passion for gardening, my love of the Caribbean, as well as my strong practical side. I am always moving forward to broaden my creative strokes. I focus on the individual rather than the masses. My unending patience and attention to detail added to my tireless energy all become a part of each creation. My collection is always evolving as I add new pieces.

MEET OUR ARTISTS

Through my work as a figurative painter, I explore form with light, shadow and line but most importantly, through color. My oils always begin with drawing in a bold and energetic style reminiscent of the Impressionists Degas and Lautrec. Horses are a frequent theme, as they allow me to combine the spontaneity of drawing with the colorful vibrancy of paint to capture my subject's energy and raw power.

I hold a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and have worked professionally as a graphic designer and as an Art Director in NYC advertising agencies. My oils and monotypes have been widely exhibited in the NYC, Westchester County, and CT areas. I am a member of the National Association of Women Artists, Mamaroneck Artists Guild, Ridgefield Guild of Artists’, and the Greenwich Artists Association.

Patti Ettinger

Figurative Painter

I have traveled to France, Italy & Greece to photograph the subjects for my paintings. What captivates me are country landscapes and waterways filled with saturated color, light, and shadow. In my work I emphasize the characteristics of the subject, making the painted images more dramatic than in reality.

Barbara Dunn

Painter

Are you an artist in Northern Westchester, NY and interested in joining our guild?

Architecturally inspired, delicately stitched: that is the motto for my art. The core of my art is deeply rooted in my Russian heritage and the architectural imagery of St. Petersburg and New York City, coupled with the use of recycled materials such as paper, plastics, and vintage fabrics. Computer photo manipulation, and intense hand and machine stitching, and translucent effects are the techniques I favor.

I am a member of the Surface Design Association, Katonah Museum Artists Association and Studio Art Quilt Associates

Natalya Aikens

Artist, Mixed Media, Textiles

Debra Y. Graham

Collage, Drawing, Photography

My personal and professional journeys have bestowed upon me a generalized curiosity with how the whole may or may not be greater than the sum of its parts.

My work whether in collage, drawing or photography explores this theme of dynamic tension between line, form and movement. In my drawings you can see both the kinetic energy of multiple swirling fields and the gestalt of the piece. My collage work incorporates language, media and global shapes and speaks to the complex relationships between minutia and the whole. In these mediums one can see the dialectic between the separate parts existing independently and as components of a symphony.

Debby graduated cum allude from Syracuse University in 1977 with a BFA degree. She was awarded honors for outstanding excellence in art 1975, 1976, and 1977, as is a recipient of a Ford Foundation Grant for her creative use of materials in 1976.

Galleries in Syracuse, New York and New York City have exhibited her work and she remains part of Polaroid’s international traveling collection since 1987. Her work is displayed in private homes and prominent offices in New York City, Westchester, New York and Bridgehampton, New York.

Barbara L. Pickel

Weaver

On my Swedish floor looms, I design and create delicate scarves, warm blankets, absorbent towels, thick rugs, or cloth for sewing. I can use fine linen, thick or thin cotton, wool, silk or bamboo fibers. I can vary the structure - how the warp and the weft threads interlace - resulting in weft-faced, warp-faced or balanced weaves. Some structures are familiar, such as twill, herringbone or plainweave. Others are specific to a culture or geographic region. Each new warp is an opportunity to create something wonderful.

I learned to weave from Becky Ashenden at Vavstuga Weaving School, Shelburne Falls, MA in the Scandinavian tradition, making utilitarian, yet beautiful textiles for the home. I also studied Japanese textile techniques such as indigo dyeing, shibori and katazome with Bryan Whitehead in Fujino, Japan. In addition to the Northern Westchester Artists Guild, I am a member of Complex Weavers and the Handweavers Guild of America.

Peggy Davidson Post

Pastel, Oil, Watercolor Painting

As I walk every day through local parks and nature preserves, as well as on my travels, I look at the vistas, the light, shadow and details of the natural world. It sustains and inspires me. Cities delight me with the great works of man, and the stories – that become paintings – discovered while walking down the street, with my eyes wide open.

I graduated from California College of the Arts in 1977. My work has been exhibited in many places including The National Arts Club and Salmagundi Club in NYC, Museums in Connecticut, and various galleries. Awards won in watercolor, pastel and oil. A credentialed teacher, I’ve taught art and lectured in more than 30 colleges, schools and art centers, and through my studio, The Artist’s Place.

I am a full member of the Salmagundi Club, NYC, Catherine Lorillard Wolf Art Club, NYC, and Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, The Connecticut Pastel Society, and Katonah Museum Art Assn.

Mara Van Fleet

Illustration, Oil Pastel

Mara Van Fleet is a children’s book artist and author from Westchester, New York. She studied at The Fashion Institute of Technology and has a B.F.A. in Advertising and Graphic Design.

Mara has illustrated and written several children’s books for Simon and Schuster and Reader’s Digest Children’s Books. She had been an art director for children’s books for over 25 years, working at Walt Disney Children’s Publishing/Hyperion Books for Children, Reader’s Digest Children’s Publishing, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin USA, and Grosset and Dunlap.

Her work has appeared at the Book Expo art exhibit “American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression”, as well as the Greenwich Arts Center’s “Art to the Avenue”.

Corinne Lapin-Cohen

Painting, Mixed Media

Corinne Lapin-Cohen is an artist, currently creating abstract works on canvas, after painting traditional botanical watercolors for 20 years.

She is now working in oil and flashe paint, as well as mixed media. These works are emotional responses to experiences and observations in her life. “I want to create something beautiful that evokes both thought and emotion; something organic and ever changing... It is through this abstract, non representational form, that I can best achieve this.”

In the Cancer Project series executed in 2014, her passion to survive guides her. Oil paint, silk threads, and cut canvas explore the emotional turmoil of her journey. This group of paintings evolved 22 years after her primary diagnosis. An intense year of studio work allowed the transfer of her voice to canvas.

Corinne’s work has been exhibited in numerous arboretums, galleries and museums throughout the country. She is in the permanent collection of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Her original paintings and limited edition prints are widely collected.

She teaches art at StoneHouse Studio in Katonah.

In addition, her images are available for commercial use. Please inquire about

commissions, and licensing opportunities.

Peg Kafka Sackler

Painting

Peg Kafka Sackler is a Westchester, New York artist who works from her studio in Chappaqua. She works mostly with acrylic and pastel, her mediums of choice. Peg's work spans the spectrum from abstract to realism, always inspired by the miraculous wonder of nature, translating its beauty onto a painting. Her paintings capture a stillness, a moment in time, moments that are around us everyday, as we are blessed to live in such a beautiful world.

Peg's romance with art began in childhood. She graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from Lehigh University, and continued to study pastel painting with her inspirational pastel art teacher Rae Smith for many years, concurrent to her advertising career and motherhood. In addition she is passionate about soulful interior design. She is now painting full time, entering the next phase of her evolution as an artist. Peg is one of the founders of The Northern Westchester Artists Guild, a non profit organization of talented local artists who are dedicated to inspiring each other as well as their community through various community shows, exhibitions, local stores, art walks, restaurants and pop ups.

Cindy Sacks

Watercolor, Oil Painting

Cindy is a Chappaqua artist whose watercolor and oil paintings reveal an interest in a wide variety of subjects. Her work has been awarded, licensed, and appears in corporate and private collections. Currently, she teaches watercolor at Katonah Art Center. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Cindy went on to study art with many gifted teachers including Kim English, Burton SIlverman and Carmen Lund.

Randi Schneweiss

Painting

times the abstract work comes about from the landscape or still life and just morphs into something wonderful and exciting. Sometimes tranquil and peaceful, other times fill with frenetic movement. She loves the layering of thick, rich acrylic paint on the canvas and can return to the same painting to tweak it over a few months time.

Randi draws inspiration for her paintings from the endless beauty of the Catskill Mountains, the Berkshires and the Bronx botanical gardens. Often seen with camera in hand, ready to capture natures amazing beauty for later reference. Working in her studio, she recreates the mood and feeling, infusing her work with glowing colors and texture.

Randi Schneweiss received a Masters Degree in Medical Illustration from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She received her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Biology from Hofstra University. Randi went on to become an Art Director at a major New York City Advertising Agency in the Medical division.

Donna Soszynska

Sculpture, Ceramics

My sculptural ceramics are conceptual prototypes for much larger pieces. Conceived to be on a monumental scale (8' to 20' in height) with soft gentle curves like those of the human body.

Their surfaces are smooth, inviting the viewer's touch. These pieces are part plant and part creature, organic shapes of human consciousness. They are choreographed dances captured and frozen; airy and solid, breathing quietly and pulsing madly. Along side my ceramics, I make fun and funky functional - one of kind vases, trays and bowls. My most well known purchaser is President Bill Clinton, who bought one of my ikebana inspired pieces.

Calabash (hard shell gourds) is another medium I work with. For over 25 years I have painted, wood-burned and carved calabash vessels. The vast array of shapes and sizes gives me endless inspiration. I have sold 1000's of vessels to galleries, museum shops, artisan boutiques and national catalogs, and been featured on the cover of The Complete Book of Gourd Craft.

Leslie Weissman

Printmaker, Painter

My artwork takes a critical view of social and cultural issues based upon suburban life. In my work, I examine the boundaries that we give ourselves and those that are created by the communities and networks in which we find ourselves. By observing the suburban landscape from areal images I enjoy the conceptual juxtaposition of the planned suburban utopia and the potential dystopia created when we no longer want to just blend into our surrounds.

In my monotypes and paintings I layer paint in an effort to explore the complexities and layers of boundaries and constraints we are faced with in our daily life and our relationships to our environment, communities and the people we encounter. The grid systems of suburban developments are the springboard for my work in this series.

My work includes both abstraction, the use of words and figurative imagery. During my research and development of one series of work new areas of interest arise and lead to the next body of work, always related to and continually evolving my exploration of our relationship to self and community. Currently I am also developing a suburban garbage project; photographing our discarded objects in their new environment and exploring the relationship between nature and conspicuous consumption.

Judika Konowe Lieberman

Fine Artist

Judika's energetic abstracts in acrylic contain an echo of: natural, organic and biomorphic forms. Her figurative work is impressionistic; the texture is impastoed with a vibrant color palette, encompassing the broad scale of the color spectrum. Influenced by Kandinsky; she believes in the interrelationship between art and music that drive her creative inspiration.

She earned a M.S. from the College of New Rochelle in Studio Art and a B.S. from Pace University in Fine Arts- Magna Cum Laude. Her art and graphic design career has spanned government, publishing, advertising and teaching.

Her work is widely exhibited and featured in numerous private collections. “Art Speak” magazine reviewed her paintings, declaring...”she is a superb colorist and has been compared to Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollack."

Originally an artist who worked in New York City, Olimpia has been living and painting in Northern Westchester for 20 years. She designed and installed theme parties for The Plaza Hotel, and many of the hotels throughout the city, giving up that career to raise a family. In 1983, Olimpia started a small business, Menagerie. She designed hand painted pillows that were fashioned into animal shapes, mostly of pets for private clients, and a retail line with following in New York, and nationwide. She now focuses on fine art, and paints in watercolor and oil.

Olimpia Gambacorta

Fine Artist, Watercolor & Oil

Her contemporary landscape paintings reflect the ever-changing moods, colors and forms of nature particularly along the Hudson River. Although largely realistic in composition, she experiments with abstraction as a way to view what nature offers to the eye.

Education included several years of art classes at Skidmore College. She studied oil painting at the Rockland Center for the Arts. She exhibits regularly in solo and group shows.

Paintings are currently on exhibit at:

Images Art Gallery, Briarcliff Manor, NY

Keenan House, Ossining, NY

You can see her work in the permanent collection of the Ossining Public Library. She is a member of the Ossining Arts Council in addition to the Northern Westchester Artists Guild.

June Farnham

Painter

Westchester artist Hope Friedland lives in White Plains NY. She is an award winning painter, mixed media specialist and art instructor. Hope teaches watercolors for The Scarsdale Adult School and The Larchmont Center for Continuing Education. Her work appears on the covers of many course catalogues. She also teaches creative watercolors for Cunard, Crystal and Royal Caribbean Cruise lines.

My impressionistic wet into wet paintings are a response to the broad visual experiences I have especially while traveling. They capture the vitality of those special paintable moments. I always carry my camera with me. My broad subject matter includes people, animals, lighthouse landscapes and florals. I love to paint using vivid colors and rich textures. I endeavor to keep the white of the paper. This gives my wet into wet paintings an overall sense of light and sparkle.

I use mixed media to create a line of greeting cards, tag collages, and assemblages.

I have a Masters degree from Columbia University and am the founder of The Westchester Artist Guild which is a group of painters who meet weekly to paint and critique their work.

Hope Friedland

Watercolor & Mixed Media Artist

Rachel Goldsmith uses pens, paintbrushes and the 3Doodler 3D Printing Pen as tools to record the repetitive movements of her hand—a mind-clearing practice that yields intricate artwork. She is inspired by 2 sets of contrasts: in the environment, the contrast between man-made and nature; and in materials, the contrast between the control she has over the media and how the media naturally interact with each other. The scientific, almost stringent and exact, aspects of the environment are reflected in her obsessive attention to detail while the spontaneous aspects of nature are present in her organic and fluid compositions. The resulting artworks engage the tension between science and art as well as technology and handicraft.

Goldsmith received her Masters of Art & Design Education Degree from Pratt Institute in 2007 and her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts Degrees from Michigan in 2003. In addition to winning several awards, she was commissioned by 3Doodler to create a lamp for MoMA Design Store. Her work, including her Fabergé Big Egg, is included in various private collections.

Rachel Goldsmith

Painting, Pen & Ink, and PLA Plastic

Jill Krutick

Modern Painter

I am a modern, American painter, inspired by Impressionists, including Monet and Van Gogh, as well as by abstract expressionists, including Rothko. My lifelong fascination of color, texture, shapes and light has shaped my artistic views. Often beginning a work with two or three colors in mind, each canvas is a journey of exploration and discovery. By layering, scraping and reworking the oil paint often with a palette knife, each work may be naturalistic, or by pure chance, combined with the action of emotional forces. I borrow much of my painted imagery from extensive eco travels and nature, which highlight the interplay between abstraction and realism.

The Ice Cube Series, born from the shapes around me, became a study in the tension between simplicity and variety. Shaped like a large box framed by a canvas, the oil on canvas works capture the rawness of texture and color in its most basic form. I continue to explore the relationship between color and texture in a variety of geometric and abstract expressionist styles. The paintings often reveal glimpses of recognizable forms, which uncover insights into a viewer’s emotional state as well my own.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and New York University Stern School, my work has been exhibited in private and public collections across the country, including galleries in Westchester, Philadelphia and New York City. Member of The National Arts Club, Art Students League and Katonah Museum Artists Association.

Jill Kiefer

Painter & Sculptor

Dr. Jill Kiefer is a teaching artist and art historian. The arts and teaching are her passions! Jill is the Director of the Fine Arts, Cultural Art History, and Film/TV/Radio Studies graduate programs offered by Warnborough College and she serves on the College Board. She is the Director of What About Art? (an organization devoted to bringing Art to Everyone) and is the Co-Director/Curator of the Anderson Chase Gallery, in Goldens Bridge, NY. Jill is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Ossining Arts Council and NWAG. She currently offers classes for adults at the Katonah Art Center, Pelham Art Center, CCE Larchmont and Mamaroneck, and the Scarsdale Adult School. Jill has an impressive and extensive resume.

Jill teaches a variety of media, but fantasy imagery—with an emphasis on animals—and homage works—are her favorite subjects. Her ideas and inspiration largely come from the realm of art history. In her own words, “I believe in magic—and the animal kingdom. My art is meant to be whimsical and heartwarming—and to honor those artists that have preceded us.” Most of her own paintings are completed in oil pigment sticks—and her sculptures are developed in balsa foam. She also works in mixed and alternative media—completing both representational and abstract art.

Mindy Kombert

Fine Artist, Ceramics, Craft

Mindy is a Westchester, New York artist working from her Chappaqua studio. She received her BFA from Pratt Institute in Visual Communications and spent 20+ years as a graphic designer before transitioning to a full time career as a studio artist. Her business is Bluedog Collections, an eclectic mix of fine art and craft. She works in paper, fabric and clay creating cards, fine art prints, one of a kind ceramics and custom scrapbook quilts. She is also an Odyssey art at Sea instructor spreading her love of the creative process around the globe.

Anna-Maria Stromberg

Photographer

My decision to become a photographer was when I got my Nikon F1 film camera from my father. I started taking pictures of everything I saw, mostly nature but also people. I began my studies at Gotland’s School of Photography in Sweden and as my knowledge grew so did my skill and desire. I moved to the United States where I completed my studies, graduating from the Art Institute of Boston with BFA, majoring in photography.

My passion for photographing nature and people has always stemmed from an interest and constant awareness of how we perceive ourselves, and more importantly, how we long to be perceived in order to be accepted.

Nature reminds me where we all came from and how nothing is perfect and doesn’t have to be. It’s a place where I’m aloud to use all my senses without judgments. Many times hidden, I find what I call miracles underneath the actual subjects. Most times they transforms into characters and in return develops into a story.

Through the use of color, light, form, environment and details, my intention is to penetrate beyond the accepted conventions of society through what is the most beautiful and powerful force we have.

My goal is to create Fine Art Photographs. A work of art for me is primarely the product of a person, not of a machine. A photograph printed straight from the original capture, either film or digital is unsatisfying and therefor after I take the photograph, I enhance the photograph according to what my memories of the original scene was. I focus on the individual colors, contrast, lights and darks and work towards making them the exact tonalities that that I desire.

I love what I do and I’m convinced that achieving great results comes from being fearless and trusting the moment. The end result is of course about the subject but the process is about the story and my relationships to them, combining my vision with what they present in that moment.

Joanne Ponzo

Drawing, Painting, Watercolor

Joanne resides in South Salem, NY with her family. She earned a BFA in Fine Arts and a MA, masters in Art Education. She has taught Art in public schools in NYC and in Westchester, NY. Also, she has worked ten years as an Art Therapist in special education, and presently shares her passion and experiences in art therapy working with children at Connecting through Social Smarts (CSS) in Ridgefield, CT. Joanne has worked in many different mediums in her creative journey, but is presently enjoying the process of watercolor painting.

In the beginning of my process I enjoy drawing with pencil to render images as realistically as possible, but often let the paint and my imagination mix with my memory to interpret the images in a new way. At other times allowing watercolor to make its' own decisions. I am continually exploring different approaches to painting as my personal style evolves. I love the process of making art, painting has become a form of meditation. When I paint.... I think of nothing else! I paint subjects that have meaning to me, images that move me. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to create! Having the opportunity to share my work evokes genuine feelings of gratitude.

March 2016 will mark the third year of exhibition and sales at the Simon Gallery in Vineyard Haven, MA

Luis F. Perez

Watercolor, Drawing, Oils & Pastels

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The aesthetics of Wabi-Sabi found me before I knew of its existence. How often has the expression “if these wall could talk” been thought of or spoken? Well, to me they do talk. There is a whisper in every dark crevasse, a stately remark in the most corroded metal, an exclamation in every bubble of old paint, a soothing sigh in a burnished plank of ancient wood. The challenge for me is to present beauty and wholeness while evoking the overall sense of impermanence, chaos, suffering, imperfection, lonesomeness, decay and emptiness (lack of self). I love the beauty of the textures and colors derived from the imperfections, modesty and degeneration found in our transient world.

I assume the same mental view when executing a black and white drawing. I still look for the textures and the tones on every surface, except that the stories are different and more specific. Some images may take on the form of an essay, an editorial, a social commentary and even an autobiography.

Nature has intrigued John Bendzak since he was a young boy in Pennsylvania. His love and admiration for the beauty of the ocean and the wilderness has inspired him to represent it in pastels, oils, acrylics and graphic design. In elementary school he was always admired for his drawings. Much of his artwork was exhibited in the hallways. In high school, John concentrated on his loves of Art, Music and Science. Frequently he was asked by the Drama class to assist with the scenery. He studied piano with the great concert artist Dr. Horace Fishback from Harvard University. His Art teacher encouraged him to pursue painting and assisted in refining his skill. His successes at local competitions stimulated him to continue painting. After High School, John continued to concentrate on the Arts studying fine art and music at both Boston University and Fairleigh Dickenson University. He developed his personal style in painting as well as piano. After graduation, he became a concert pianist with Baldwin Piano Company and began his own Lithographic Company called, Got You Covered.

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In the years between 1984-1990, John travelled extensively to the Caribbean and in particular the Island of Jamaica. There his fascination with the azure blue water inspired his work. At this time he also started his teaching career with Bayley Ellard Conservatory. He continued teaching at many colleges and Universities throughout his accredited career.

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Today he lives in West Milford, New Jersey and Sunny Isles, Florida where his fascination with trees and wildlife continues to influence his art. He has produced many fine works which have been displayed in many shows Corporations and Gallery’s including the New York Art Expo, The Living Well expo and the Coconut Grove Art Expo. He has had Solo expositions in New York, New Jersey and Miami. Over the years, he developed a style that he has classed as Media Fusion. By his definition, it is the synthesis of homemade pastels, pastel pencils, pens, calligraphy pens, acrylic and oil pastels incorporated with graphic design to produce one of kind works of art.

He has won many awards which include The 2007 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Work in the Arts, The 2012 Governor’s Award for Teaching in the Arts and The Princeton Prize Nomination for Excellence in Teaching in the State of New Jersey.

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Recent efforts include the creation of a catalog of all his works which include over 25 Glicee editions. He has collectors from corporate America to private homes. His work is currently in galleries in Warwick, New City and Piermont New York. Also, Miami and Sunny Isles Florida, The West Indies and online.

John Bendzak

Pastels, Oils, Acrylics, Graphic Design

I start every painting with the mantra “paint what you know” in my mind. To know is more than to see or to copy, it is to internalize and express the essence of that moment It is to take the concept and run mental fingers over it, and use every one of my senses to explore the concept before pencil is put to paper or brush to canvas.

Some of my work captures that moment when you awake from a dream, the message and images slowly melting back into your subconscious as the mist of conscious thought slowly fills the brain with the mundane activities of the day, such as “time to brush your teeth”.

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When you look at one of my paintings, give your mind a moment to wander and see what story may be evoked. Look at the characters and write your own little fairy­tale. You may discover something about my painting and you may also discover something about yourself.

Judy Challis

Fine Art Painter

I was born and raised in Victoria, in the South East of Australia. Inspired by both growing up in my native Australia as well as through travel and time living in various parts of the world including France, Southern California and the Philippines. My work incorporates many glimpses of life through my lens blended with blue skies, all strong symbols of my experience of the world.

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Married with two children. Since the birth of my first child I have embraced fatherhood and the primary carer role in our home. This was the impetus for me to devote more time to my art which had always been an interest. I enjoy reading and am an avid vinyl record collector and music enthusiast.

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I worked in various operations roles within the Australian financial markets over the first 20 years of my career.

My work was recently shown at The Armory Art Show in New York City. Part of Shanghai based Artist Wang Xin's The Gallery.